This is Our Story: Descent Through Time
by Teller of Chronicles
Summary: What tragic event pushed Chao to pursue the disclosure of magic to the whole world? How exactly did she get all her abilities and knowledge? Why does the XIII Order have such an interest in her? NegimaxKH crossover. Side story to Across the Stars
1. Running Away

**This is Our Story: Descent Through Time**

**by Teller of Chronicles**

Disclaimer info- I don't own Negima, or Kingdom Hearts. If I did, some events in Negima wouldn't have happened as they did. Same with KH. Some of the OC's I do own though. Just putting it out there.

AN- so… of all my side stories I have planned (and don't think I'll ever get to xD), this one is probably more based on the primary series, in this case Negima, than the others. However, it will incorporate aspects of my main story, and I guess in some sense provide spoilers for parts of it.

Anyways, being in the Negima section, I apologize for the very crude quality of what's to follow. I don't profess to be a writer, nor do I have any skills in writing, so if you're used to authors like Serac, kafka'sdragon, Ambrant Arandel, Furu Kei, Hydriatus, Theru, and all the other absolutely gifted Negima writers, please feel ready to cringe at how terrible this work is.

**Chapter 1- Running Away**

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"**Yes, Luxord?"**

"**I must say, Shoxuaj. I've never seen you put in so much effort to get rid of this world. Are these… what is this system of worlds called… ah, the **_**Ruins of Mahora**_**, Is the name bothering you?"**

"**Not quite that. I could care less about the name. There's something bothering me about the people who remain on the nearby Mars. I've picked up the trace of a magic aura similar to one I've felt in the past. The Heartless with me seem to be attracted to the town tainted with the aura. Here on the map."**

"**So, when we eliminate this town, we'll be sure to make the source a special priority."**

"**No. Not yet."**

"**No? Remember your place Shoxuaj. I am after all your superior in the Order."**

"**I understand, but let me try something. We've been having trouble destroying the world so the Heartless can consume the heart. Maybe, this source holds the key to finding the heart of the world. For now, call of the campaign on this world. Let me make this person my pet project. If we can feed the darkness in the aura of this person, they'll be key to our success here."**

"**As you wish. You are the Ancient Scientist after all. I bid you good luck then. Just keep us informed with what's going on."**

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Her breath came out in staggered gasps, as she kept on pushing her body to the limits. Her muscles were sore all over. With each step, the only message her brain received was pain.

Behind her, the monsters of shadows kept moving forward, the yellow eyes staring at the back of the girl's dress. The stars overhead twinkled in an irregular rhythm, seemingly mocking the girl for trying to escape the inevitable.

'_Have to keep going… I can't... let them get to me.'_

How long had she been running? At this point, it almost didn't matter. For what seemed to have been hours, the little girl's feet kept pounding on the dusty surface of Mars. Her black hair shined with sweat, her braids coming loose, letting her hair down to her back. She held the last evidence of her existence in her hands, knuckles white as she gripped to the bound family tree.

As long as Chao Lingshen could remember, the seven year old had heard nothing but stories of terrifying monsters born from the darkness. For seven years, stories trickled into her small town of 5,000, stories of the utter destruction of cities back on Earth and some of the more prominent cities here on Mars.

But she hadn't given it much thought. Her town was located within the cliffs of Valles Marineris, out of the way of most cities, most of humanity for that matter. The only people who visited were travelers who wanted to see the world and had responded to the call of the gorges. _'Very few people came, why would monsters?'_ she had thought.

But of course, she had been proven wrong. Only ten hours ago, as the sun set, they had attacked. Salty tears ran new paths down her dust-covered face as she once again remembered how her mother had brought her to the edge of the town, where a tunnel would bring her to the surface, overlooking the system of gorges.

"_Mommy! No, please don't leave me!" Chao was crying as her mother placed her at the edge of the lift._

_Deborah Springfield, now Deborah Lingshen, reached up to pat down the messy hair of her daughter. She tried to soothe and strengthen her daughter, her own fear threatening to surface. She hugged Chao and whispered into her ears. "Chao, right now, you have to be strong. Be strong for mommy and daddy. You need to go right now. They're after mommy, and if you're with me, then you may get hurt too, and I don't want that."_

_Ignoring her daughter's screaming protests, Deborah pushed Chao into the tunnel, pulling a star tipped wand from her pocket. Chao could only look in confusion as her mom turned around to face the approaching monsters. _

_Deborah was struggling emotionally. She wanted to do something more for Chao. Anything to comfort her youngest child as she stood there, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to turn around, tell her that she would always be with her. Tell her that it would be alright. But she couldn't, because the fear in her heart told her that it might not be ok. If only… _he_ was still here. _

_Hesitantly, Deborah cast one last look at her daughter, tears brimming in her own eyes, before whispering something._

"_Chao, remember that I always love you."_

_Screaming, Chao tried to rush back to her mom, but instead was forced to halt and cover her eyes with her arms as the star on the wand glowed and flashed brightly. The brilliant light was only momentary, because the next thing Chao knew, the entryway to the lift collapsed, rocks blocking the last path to her mom._

_She stood there numbly, her hand reaching out to where her mom had just been. _

"_Mommy… I love you too. Don't leave me… Please Mommy, come back… come back…" She collapsed on the ground where she was, weeping into her arms as realization struck her that she was now an orphan._

_She was pulled out of her grief by the sound of a snarling monster, appearing through the rubble as a puddle of… darkness. Chao took it as her cue to run, and did so, proceeding out of the tunnels, into the harsh Martian night. _

That had been ten hours prior, but Chao had not stopped running yet. She couldn't stop yet. Not yet. She needed to find help, any help.

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In a space ship orbiting over Mars, a single figure watched a live feed from the surface of the planet. On it, he watched as Chao ran from the monsters, the Heartless. His lips curved into a smile as he watched the almost amusing spectacle. From his point of view, the Heartless were almost toying with the young girl. They had taken down opponents many times faster than this girl.

And yet, they chased her with a speed more comparable to a small dog, rather than a ferocious demon. The young girl hardly knew that she was at the mercy of the monsters. As she grew more tired, as her pace started to reduce, after fourteen torturous hours of running, the Heartless were practically prodding the girl along. The hidden camera zoomed in on the face of Chao, letting her pained face fill the bridge of the ship. He looked at the tears, the dust caked face, the hair marred with sweat, before rising.

'_It appears that she is ready.'_ The figure walked to the center of the room, preparing his items, and summoned a pitch-black orb. He stepped through it, and disappeared from the bridge of the ship.

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She was nearly dead now. But the monsters wouldn't let her lie down yet. Every time they neared her, they would scratch at her back, raking her legs with sharp claws. Not enough to tear out flesh, but just enough to induce pain and fear in the young girl's head, forcing her to run more.

Finally, her legs gave way. The young girl pitched forward, her eyes beginning to close from exhaustion. She was barely able to drop her book and put her hands in front of her to break her fall. Chao could hear the snarls of the monsters as their prey had finally collapsed. Letting out victorious whoops, they leaped at the fallen girl. Chao closed her eyes and cringed, preparing for the worst.

'_I'm sorry Mommy… I failed you.'_

The sound of what seemed to be flesh being cleaved from bones caused the girl to scream, expecting more pain to shoot up from any of her limbs. But it didn't. When sounds of terrified yelping reached her ears, she decided to risk a look up.

Only a foot in front of her was a man in a black cloak. His hood was on, so Chao couldn't see the face of her. He had created a transparent shield around her of some kind, and the monsters were trying to get through to her. Chao watched as the man simply moved his hands around, a gray beam of energy flying out occasionally to catch a monster in the torso. Realizing there was another person, the monsters turned and looked puzzled at the presence of the newcomer before leaping at him. Chao looked on in wonder as the Martian sky filled with what looked to be a pink heart, rising in the sky whenever a monster was defeated.

The man kept fighting in a methodical manner, slowly clearing away the group of monsters that had followed Chao. When a monster leapt at him from the side while he was preoccupied, Chao screamed. Hearing her scream, the man looked at her before disappearing in a gray smoke as the monster clawed through him. Almost immediately, the man appeared behind the monster as it landed, a black gloved hand prepared for a downward strike. Before the creature could respond at all, the fist landed, destroying the monster in a fine mist.

While the monsters were confused, Chao looked around. She saw the book that she had dropped, and crawled over with what strength she had left to grab it. Before she could take further action, exhaustion took over Chao, and she slumped over on the ground, asleep.

The man walked over to Chao, the last of the monsters dissolving into a mist. He bent down and checked her vital signs. _'Good, she's still alive.'_ He picked up Chao, her book still grasped in her hands, and carefully carried her over to the warp he had come from.

For now, Chao's flight was done.

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"**Well, Luxord? What do you think?"**

"**You told us to pull back from the planet for a single town, and you only get one person? Please tell me she has the aura you're looking for."**

"**No, she actually has very little aura compared to what we had picked up. But she must be a part of the family or something, because she has some."**

"**So, your plan failed?"**

"**Not quite. It's very diluted, but she still has some magic aura. We should take this opportunity to teach her some. Of course, we'll monitor her growth."**

"**But how will she react to the Heartless?"**

"**She won't. I'm going to take her to a facility. She seems capable of learning some magic. Whoever she is, she has to have lost someone. We'll use that loss and feed the darkness into her heart."**

"**Well, it might help to look through this book you brought back too."**

"**Hm, it appears to be a family tree. Chao Lingshen, mother Deborah Springfield. Hm, Springfield… I feel like I should know that name."**

"**Shoxuaj, don't think too hard. We'll take care of it later. For now, let the girl rest. She deserves it, for getting your interest and surviving the torture you put her through. I almost feel sorry for her."**

"**Luxord, I really think you're getting soft." **

"**I said almost!"**

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AN - So… reviews? Is it too confusing? Too little action? Too weird? Again, I suck at writing, so any input at all would be immensely grateful.

Quick details - Shoxuaj is probably the most enigmatic to you, because he is after all, an OC! I hope I don't reveal too much about him, because he's pretty central to this plotline as well as my main story, although the details revealed in the main story are more significant. If I can, I'll try to make him a fleshed out character without dropping too many spoilers at who he really is. That will come from the main story. If I ever get that far along xD

To KH2 fans, Luxord may be OoC (I hope he isn't though ), but he's, IMHO, one of the more shallow portrayals in the game, so I took some liberty with his personality.

Anyways, I shall update (hopefully) sometime in the near future. Here's to hoping for the skill to write (albeit at a subpar level). And time to work on / type up the story.


	2. That Which Doesn't Kill Us

**This is Our Story: Descent Through Time**

**by Teller of Chronicles**

Disclaimer- No, I don't own Negima or KH. Those would be the brainchildren of Ken Akamatsu and Tetsuya Nomura, respectively. However, Shoxuaj is mine.

**Chapter 2 – That Which Doesn't Kill Us…**

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"**You're bringing her here? Why?"**

"**The flow of magic is higher at this location than on Mars. It'll help catalyze her training."**

"**But, how will this help us destroy this world?"**

"**Do you recall Vexen's project on Riku Replica?"**

"**Yes, but I fail to see the relevance here."**

"**Well, Vexen attempted to use the Replica to try and turn Sora over to Marluxia's side. In an analogous manner, I plan to use her connections to this place to eventually push her beyond her emotional limits. If she can embrace the darkness, a reaction may occur, leading to the destruction of the world, and another Nobody to join our ranks."**

"**This is… a thought out plan. But she's of more use than that right? I mean, we could just commit a larger amount of forces to destroy the world."**

"**No, don't worry. This girl will be far more important. She just needs to get into the habit of things."**

"**How do you intend to train her without giving away your affiliation?"**

"**Just watch me. It shouldn't be too hard to convince the girl that I'm her friend."**

"**So you're going to act now? This will be quite amusing to watch. First you save her, now you're going to put on a façade. I think **_**you're**_** the one going soft."**

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The sunlight was bothering her. Chao tossed and turned in her bed, hoping to get a couple more hours of sleep after such a strenuous day. She could hear Mommy in the kitchen, making breakfast, bacon and eggs it seemed from what she could smell. The little girl smiled in her sleep, thinking of what she would do today, after a long day of running away from those mon-

Her eyes shot open in shock as the memories came pouring back. She stared at the ceiling while her brain ran over the events of the past day. The tunnel collapse. Mommy smiling before the flash of the wand illuminated her memory. Running away on the Martian surface. Falling down. Black, scary monsters. Scraped legs. The weird man in black. The last thing she could remember was grabbing her family tree as the man continued to dispatch of the monsters. Then… nothing. Her mind was reeling with thoughts, fear being a prevalent emotion.

'_Where am I? My home didn't have any sunlight… How did I get here? Was it that man? Why did he help me? What were those things?'_

Chao slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes gingerly as she inspected her surroundings. The sleeping bag she was sleeping in was by far the neatest thing in the room. Everything else around her screamed of a dilapidated war zone. The walls and ceiling had blackened scorch marks in uneven patterns, and sections of the ceiling hung down. A series of bullet holes clustered around the middle of the wall in front of her, a dark stain of - was that blood? – running down the walls from where the bullet holes were clustered. Chao gagged momentarily at the sight before continuing her inspections. The door next to the stain was barely hanging on its hinges, the wood rotting and paint peeling. She could hear the sounds of cooking coming from behind the door, but pushed that thought aside as she continued to look around.

Turning to her left, Chao found the wall directly next to her bed filled with holes. Her bag must have been placed on the floor where a bunk bed originally lay, because the color of what remained of the wall had faded everywhere except in a silhouette shaped like a bed. She looked through a particularly large hole, roughly the size of a human adult; it appeared that there was another bedroom directly next to her. She looked in, and found that the room was similar to her own - design, condition, everything. Except that there was no stain on the wall this time. Instead, on the ground in the far corner of the room was a gold ring. Chao could faintly see the glint of a diamond on the ring, as well as the stain of blood on the ring and around it. She was about to bend over further to get a better peek at the ring, before the sound of masculine voice startled her.

"Sorry about the condition of this room. It was the only room in the building intact enough for both of us."

Chao turned back around and screamed at the man looking over her with a pair of scissors, dripping with a fluid, in his hands, point downward. The man winced as the high-pitched scream filled his ears, before noticing the absurdity of the situation. Sheepishly grinning, he slowly bent down, setting the knife down on the ground next to his feet. He then sat down in front of Chao, covering his ears as he waited for Chao's scream to end.

Chao's scream died in her throat as she finally ran out of breath. She took a deep breath, ready to scream her lungs out again, and fainted.

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That would be the last time he tried to wake her up after cooking any meal. He had opened up the next package of bacon with the scissors, and then walked into the room when he had heard her stirring and shifting around. He rubbed his ears, the scream still ringing in his eardrums. Shaking it out, he turned to the young girl lying down next to him.

Looking at her peaceful face, it was hard to tell that she had just gone through a traumatic experience. She didn't seem to have any nightmares, since she hadn't wakened up at all in the past week, and her wounds had almost healed. Of course, when he had first brought her here, he was surprised her legs still existed. Let alone whether she could still use them.

Slowly, he reached out to the girl, gently shifting her form around to make her more comfortable. The man then got up and walked into the kitchen, recollecting the memory of his arrival.

_As his feet touched the ground on the hill, a breeze kicking up some dust, he finally looked down at his clothes and grimaced. The girl had almost been torn apart by the Heartless, and her legs had been bleeding openly. Now, the bleeding had subsided, but her dress and his clothes were soaked with the girl's blood. _

_He walked down the hill, his eye spotting a distant building, miraculously intact given the condition of the rest of the area. Thankfully, it appeared to be the ruins of a dormitory, from the aged decorations that still fluttered in the wind from some of the rooms. Toward one end of the dorm, windows and doors had been blown out by some terrific explosion in the past, blackened shrapnel and scorch marks visible from this distance. It looked like an entire corner of the building had been destroyed by the blast. But, the building stood. That would help him. Maybe he would be able to find a place to stay around here._

_As he continued to walk over to the ruined dorms, he noticed a couple of the other buildings that had managed to stand. Later, after taking care of the girl, he would find out what was in the buildings. If he could find anything, it would be of great importance. But the girl came first._

_Walking past the first, blown up, corner of the dorms, he opened the door of a room, immediately noticing to his dismay that it was inhabitable. Just inside the door was a mountain of rubble, comprised of the remains of the room above. Running to the next room, he kicked down the door, and found that while he could stand inside, most of the walls were knocked down, and the ceiling sagged. Deciding that he couldn't stay here, he walked out, and was rewarded for his prudence by the crash of the ceiling snapping and collapsing. _

_After many a few more mishaps, during which he noted with a grimace that the majority of the rooms were bullet ridden and worn out, he finally found this room. It was by no means a perfect place, being just as torn up as the other rooms, but it was certainly the best location. Besides the intact kitchen, he had found a rest room and separate bedrooms, perfect for the two. He snapped his fingers, and a sleeping bag appeared on the floor. He set the girl down, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and then set about the grisly work of binding her wounds._

He shook his head, remembering that day last week. He had been expecting to have a hard time finding a living area, but this was absolutely ridiculous. After making sure the girl was ok, he had traversed to the other surviving buildings, calmly observing the wreckage that was all over and the items that he was able to find. This place was perfect for training. He calmly combed his hand through his brown hair and beard, a feral grin emerging on his face.

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Sayo Aisaka slowly made her way down the hall of the ruined building. Stopping at a room, she slowly peered into it, silently hoping for nothing. She had been scared out of her wits when a man had opened the door. After all, no one had been here for the past six decades!

Her friends had all died long ago, and there was nothing she could do about it. And then… the monsters had slowly taken over the school. They betrayed the demons, and then searched all over the campus for something. They couldn't find what they wanted, but they stuck around, sticking to the shadows.

She couldn't talk to the monsters obviously, and the loss of her friends told her not to expect anyone on campus. So, for her to suddenly come face to face with this Caucasian man was quite the shock. Not surprisingly, the man had walked right through the ghost, taking a tour of the building while obliviously ignoring the screaming ghost.

After that first visit a week ago, he had occasionally visited, always chuckling darkly as he left. Honestly, if there was a competition to freak Sayo out, this man would take first prize.

He was so mysterious, and the fact that he was always dressed neatly in a black dress shirt and pants was just odd. The ghost shuddered, before continuing her trek through the school building. It had been so long since she had a friend. Perhaps someone other than the creepy man was here. Perhaps… that someone might like to be her friend!

Little did she expect the shock that would come in the following weeks in the form of a Martian.

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Chao opened her eyes again, looking into the brown eyes of the man, his face just inches away from her face. Giving a shriek, she pulled the sleeping bag over her, eyes clenched, fervently hoping that the man would just go away. Or, get her murder over with already. Her mind was racing and her heartbeat pounded in her ears, fear seizing up her muscles.

She paused when she heard a throaty laughter come from the man. Hesitantly peeking her eyes out of the sleeping bag, she saw the man sitting next to her, his eyes tearing up as he kept on chuckling.

"Girl, you are scared of me?"

Hesitantly, she sat up, hoping that his lack of action was not a joke. She nodded, looking at the strange man. "Mhm. Mister, you had scissors in your hands, and you're a stranger. You scared me."

"I'm sorry about that. I heard you getting up, so I rushed over here to check on you. But your reaction was quite priceless. Although my ears have paid the price for it. Really, you have nothing to worry about from me. I just happened to find you on the hill, asleep."

Her stomach grumbled, and she looked down sheepishly.

"I'm hungry mister. Do you have any food?"

The man chuckled, nodding. "I was able to find some bacon and eggs in the… other part of the building, so I cooked some up for you. But that was an hour and a half ago, so the food is a bit cold. Food's food though, so here I'll help you get up."

He reached down to Chao, and she took his hand and pulled. As she got up, she finally noticed the weakness in her legs, falling forward before the man caught her. _'Must be all the scratches.'_ Looking down, she saw that her legs had medical gauze wrapped around her legs up to her knees. Looking behind her, she could see that additional bandages had been placed on the back of her thighs. The back of her dress was caked red, but the bandages were still white.

The man saw her gaze and quickly explained, "When I found you, you were bleeding all over, so I quickly brought you here and treated your wounds. The bandages were just replaced last night. Here, don't push yourself. Let me help you."

He sweeped her up in his arms and carried the young girl to the kitchen, where a plate of eggs and bacon awaited her. He gently set her down in a chair, before walking over and grabbing a cup of water. He sat down opposite from her, and watched as she ferociously attacked the plate of food. He sipped a bit of water, before continuing the conversation.

"So, do you have a name? I don't want to keep calling you 'Girl' each time I address you."

"Chao Lingshen… but Chao will do. Um… Mister?"

"Robert Maurice Dirac, but you can call me Robert."

"O… ok. Robert, where are we?"

"Good question Chao. Here, tell you what. Finish eating up, and I'll show you where we are."

With that incentive, Chao finished scarfing her food down at a record pace, and immediately turned to Robert. Realizing what she wanted, he laughed then bent down. Instead of scooping Chao into his arms, he picked her up and put her on his back, allowing her to ride piggyback. He walked out of the dorm room, allowing Chao to see the outside for the first time.

All around the building were piles of rubble. For as far as she could see, there were a couple buildings standing around, while ruins and concrete rubble lay scattered around. A tree in the background caught her eye. It was the remains of a large tree, evident by the enormous girth of the remaining stump. Chao conjured memories of her book on Earth, and thought of how grandiose the tree must have looked like in its prime.

Robert looked back at the awed and slightly scared Chao, and smiled. "Welcome to Mahora Academy, or what's left of it."

Looking forward, where Chao couldn't see his face, Robert's face twisted into a dark grin as he muttered to himself. "Prepare for Hell on Earth, Chao."

Together, the two walked off into the campus, the girl amazed at so many new sights.

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AN- And the story starts kicking off. Chao's been exposed to the ruins of Mahora, but what secrets await her on the ruined campus? What's up with Robert and what will he do to Chao? What event is Sayo talking about? What will happen when our resident albino meets the new Martian? Well, hope you can wait for the answers:-D

Anyways, a couple things I need to ask people about. Depending on what people say, I might go back and change some details.

For example, does the inclusion of Sayo help or hinder the story? At this point.

Right now, Sayo's inclusion in my notes is sort of… well, I found her to be an interesting person to include, but what I hoped to achieve with her does not necessarily need our friendly albino. There are other… people… that could theoretically replace her. So, if she is more of a problem in the story, and continues to be a problem writing, I will make changes as needed.

(Particularly in this chapter, I needed to switch to someone else, to give Chao time to recover from her comical fainting. I was hoping to keep Sayo's presence a secret for later, but I couldn't think of what else I could talk about while Chao got back up. But revealing Sayo now and not later shouldn't have a huge effect on the storyline.)

Second, the name Robert Maurice Dirac is derived from two names – Robert V. Pound and Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, two physicists known for their work on relativity. Hopefully, that'll provide some hint to what Robert's abilities are. Well, ok, it's a bit of a stretch to use, since I don't know either of them that well, but think space-time. Just a little thing

Just a bit more. Sorry, I have a lot on my mind. Anyways, as I've mentioned, I am not exactly the best writer in the world. Does anyone have suggestions on how to better implement a third person omniscient narrator? I find myself trying to have characters think things out, but then end up writing it as a narration. It's a little minor thing, but I would like to become a better writer.

Suggestions on how to better describe people would also be of great help. I absolutely suck when describing how a person looks, other than references. In this case, Robert looks like Desmond from LOST, but with a pair of black-framed glasses, and wearing black dress shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes. And slightly neater hair. Didn't quite catch that image? I know, because I can't describe a person's look for my life.

Anyways, that's my post chapter rant / AN. And wow… I had a lot to say. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter (as bad as it is)! Again, any help would be great.

If you care, Across the Stars chapter 3 is coming along, but it's rather long.


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